To Sow the Seeds of a Nightmare
by xPockyNoMikox
Summary: Yusuke stumbles upon a secret of Kurama's while bandaging his wounds after the fight with Karasu. KxH, Prelude to To Look Upon a Rose... which is posted!


DISCLAIMER: I don't own it; you don't sue me. Got it? Great.

This fic is the prequel to my multi-part fic To Look Upon a Rose, which is now posted. It's yet another Karasu reincarnated fic, but there is a twist. Karasu possesses someone to come after Kurama again, yes, but that someone is Kurama himself.

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**To Sow the Seeds of a Nightmare  
**

Kurama sank wearily down onto the low bench, usually elegant features haggard and gray. Eyes closed and shoulders slumped, it was hard to imagine the deadly grace he'd displayed only half an hour ago. Now, he looked like just any other fighter worn out after a battle.

"How long is he gonna sleep, anyway?"

I turned toward Kuwabara at the taller ningen's question, then glanced down at Hiei on the other bench. The fire demon looked as exhausted as Kurama, though he sported considerably fewer wounds – courtesy of his newly mastered Kokuryuha. "He didn't say," I replied as I stared hard at the white bandage that now covered the Jagan. For a moment, a red light glimmered under the covering, but it faded too quickly for me to be sure I had truly seen it. I shuddered. "You know, Hiei doesn't look so different when he sleeps. He still looks like he's ready to blow your head off any minute."

"Really?" Kurama murmured, staring absently at the smaller youkai. "I can see another side of him when he sleeps…" The half-youko shook his head. "Never mind. I'm rambling."

"Ne," Kuwabara drawled after a long moment of silence, "does anyone know if there's a snack machine around? I'm hungry."

Rolling my eyes, I pointed out the door. "I saw one when we were coming in. Jeez, your attention span is shorter than an inchworm." When Kuwabara finally left after muttering some complaint about team leaders under his breath, I walked over from my place near the window to Kurama. "You don't look so hot. How are you feeling?"

His eyes opened slowly, as if even that small movement was an effort, but he forced a slight smile. "I'm fine. My fight is over; you no longer have to worry about me."

"Idiot," I said, grabbing the roll of bandages and salve Koenma had produced from somewhere. "I don't care whether you have to fight anymore or not, you're still injured. Now, take off your shirt."

With a somewhat surprised look that he hid almost instantly, Kurama complied, though the activity was more complicated than I expected. His Chinese-style outfit was loose but included several layers; just removing the top half required more energy than he could spare. He shivered as the air hit his bare skin, and I assured him that I would be quick.

"This is more Botan's forte than mine," I warned him, though I doubted that even Botan would have been able to heal some of his wounds. Karasu's bombs had been powerful; I didn't know how Kurama had managed to stay on his feet for as long as he did. The worst were on his arms and legs, and it took all my concentration to keep my hands steady enough to bandage them. I'd been in my share of fights and seen enough injuries to be familiar with the sight of blood, but I'd never seen anything like this before. Bone showed through the blood and charred skin in several places, glistening an eerie white in the fluorescent lighting. "I'm glad Karasu is already dead," I muttered, "because I'm ready to kill him."

A strained laugh escaped Kurama's lips. "Hiei said the same thing."

I'd suspected that Hiei had been using his Jagan to speak telepathically to Kurama during the half-youko's fight, for he'd been concentrating fiercely on something though his attention was not on the ring. "I think everyone's pissed at that bastard right now," I said. "We were all worried about you." I followed Kurama's gaze to the small koorime lying supine on the table across from us and lowered my voice. "Especially Hiei."

"Yes," Kurama sighed. "I don't think I would have survived that battle without him." He glanced over at me, then continued in a low voice when he saw my curious look. "He saved me from myself."

I nodded, understanding. I'd lost myself in battle before, in the danger clouding my opponent's eyes; it was a dangerous thing to do, and for Kurama it had almost proved fatal. Karasu was alluring – even I had to admit that. Yet it wasn't Karasu's looks that attracted people to him, nor his personality. It was his power, and the knowledge of what that power was capable of. There was something dangerously seductive in knowing your partner had the power to end your existence with a single caress.

"I never imagined Hiei the caring type," I said casually, watching Kurama's reaction from the corner of my eye. Being a master of subtlety himself, Kurama was maddeningly difficult to corner, but I was determined to prove my long-held suspicions correct, even if it meant taking advantage of the half-youko's current distracted state.

Kurama laughed again, this time sardonically. "No, I wouldn't either. But there's more to Hiei than meets the eye. He has a soft side, though he very rarely shows it." Realizing what he'd implied by his words, Kurama's eyes widened, and a faint redness spread across his cheeks in what I realized was a blush.

"Heh. So, I was right. You two are together." I smirked, proud that I beaten the famous Minamino Shuuichi in a game of words and wit. I took a moment to fear Kurama's reaction – and Hiei's – before returning to gloating once more.

Shaking his head slightly, Kurama sighed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time until one of you found out. Hiei won't be pleased, though."

I grinned, though I knew what the fire demon was capable of doing to me if he decided he truly wanted this secret kept. "Hiei doesn't need to know I know. Why the secrecy, though? Youkai don't live by human standards. And besides, what's wrong with–"

"We live in the Ningenkai, Yusuke," Kurama interjected gently, almost sadly. "Youkai or not, we have to outwardly conform if we are to remain there. I don't think society would be very approving of… us."

"But what about your mother?" I asked. "You're close to her – does she know?"

Kurama shook his head. "I've become so used to hiding things from her, its almost second nature," he said bitterly. "Besides, I'm not sure she would understand."

I began to argue but stopped as Kurama shivered again and swayed slightly. I finished tying the last bandage around his arm and stepped back to allow him to put his tattered shirt back on. "You alright?" I asked as he swayed weakly.

Kurama nodded wearily, seeming to shrink into himself. "I will be."

His features changed, softened for just a moment, but it was long enough for me too see the fear that still lingered within them. I'd never seen him look so vulnerable before. Kurama was the anchor in our group, the calm center in the middle of our turbulent team. Without him, we'd slowly tear ourselves apart; he was both tactician and mediator of our many – and often violent – fights. Seeing him so weak unnerved me.

Straightening, I tossed him a sympathetic grin. "Get some rest. You deserve it. We still have a few hours before they can get the ring replaced. I've gotta go find Kuwabara and make sure the idiot didn't get lost."

Kurama nodded absently, though I doubted he'd heard me. He had turned inward again, his eyes clouded with thoughts I didn't want to try to decipher. Quietly, I slipped out the door and into the dim hallway. A form detached itself from the shadows and followed me, and I turned to glare at it when we were out of earshot. "I didn't think stealth was your style, Koenma."

"It's not," the Reikai god replied, flicking his cloak over his shoulder. "I wanted to hear what Kurama had to say, and he would not have said it in front of me."

"About him and Hiei?" I asked. "You don't seem too surprised about it."

"I already knew," he said simply.

I glared at him again, distrusting. "What, did you follow them around with that stupid surveillance system? Che, _hentai_, they deserve some privacy!"

"Of course I didn't!" he cried defensively. "I mean, yes, that's how I found out, but I don't _watch _them. I needed to find Kurama for a mission and happened to see him with Hiei."

"Pervert," I muttered.

"I am not! I already knew before that! Why do you think they received the same punishment for stealing the artifacts? Kurama asked for a harsher punishment so he could stay with Hiei. I guessed then!"

"What do you want, anyway?" I snapped, turning away to hide my smirk. No matter what form Koenma took, he never ceased acting like a toddler. Still, this new information puzzled me. It made sense, though; after Kurama had betrayed Hiei to save Shiori, community service was probably the _only_ way he could remain near the vindictive fire demon. What had changed Hiei's mind since then, though?

"I wanted to tell you that Karasu's soul has been imprisoned," Koenma replied, serious once again. "I thought that would reassure you, seeing as how that fight unnerved all of us. He was deemed too dangerous to allow to remain free – he's vowed to kill Kurama, and death won't stop him. The line between the living world and the spirit world is too easy to cross, especially for youkai."

I stopped and stared at him, a sinking feeling in my stomach. "So that means Karasu can come after Kurama again?"

Koenma met my gaze solemnly. "Hopefully not – Reikai prisons are notoriously inescapable."

My bad feeling got worse. "It sounds like there's a 'but' in there somewhere."

Koenma sighed, exhaling loudly. "Reikai prisons are the most impregnable in all three worlds. But they aren't inescapable."

-x-

A/N: Thank you all for reading this, and if you liked it, please read the sequel! And drop a review!


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